Though the little party was not aware of it,they were not alone. If either of the boys had been vigilant enough to scan the gentle coastline to either sight of them,they would noticed something sure to give them nightmares for the rest of thier lives.
A little distance behind the mayor and the two lads and five feet from the shore, a darks mass could be seen battling the little waves that threatened to force it underwater. Not that the dark mass had any reason to fear being submerged. Quite the contrary in fact. Closer inspection would have revealed the dark mass to be the head and torso of a being that resembled a nighmarish cross between eel and man,a creature of water,but with limbs that could grasp and throw as well as those of any man.
Hulcha sighed,taking care not to to let himself be heard. Alone as he was,it would not do for the air breathers to hear him. Who knows what powers these bizzare demons might posses? A part of him cringed with terror at finding himself alone at last in the land of the demons. But that part of him was overidden by the part that was determined to carry out the divine order given to him by the Emperor,son of the Matriach. The Emperor was the child of the Gods of Water and only a fool would dishonor himself by refusing to carry out a command given to him by this eartly embodiment of the divine. Besides,his Eshal honor cried out for revenge. For eternity,the brave People had never ventured beyond the watery land of Tarrod,fearing the dreaded air breathing demons that infested the relams beyond. Confident that the demons would never find them if they stayed put,they had set about conquering the lesser races of Tarrod with the arcane aid of the Cuada,the fey First Born. But their power would not go unchallenged for long. The worst fear of the Eshal had come to pass and armies of the air breathing demons appeared out of nowhere,slaying and looting unopposed. For the first time in their long and heroic existence,the Brave people were forced to turn tail and flee. But just when it seemd as if all was lost,the Chosen arose to turn back the demon hordes and drive them back to their dry land relams. And the moment long awaited in the book of Prophecies had finally come. The Brave people would now set forth to conquer the lands of the alien air breathers and avenge the humilation inflicted on them.
It had take him long months to cross the great waters of Vaet. But now he was finally here. He had set out with fifty others on the order of the blessed Emperor of the Brave people to scout out the the demon lands for the invasion that would soon follow. They had soon split up,with each vowing to be the first to find the land of air breathers,though Hulcha suspescted there was more then one. If that was indeed the case,then he would have to share his credit with no one else,making this wretched journey worth it. And wretched it had been,with sentient auqatic life like him almost being non existant,apart from the wild tribes of mer folk that had seen. He was lucky to have eluded them,cursed pagans that they were. But in time,the Eshal would crush them too,as they had their arrogant breathen on Tarrod.
He shifted again,trying trying to keep his head above the playful waves of Vaet that kept buffeting him,in a persistant effort to observe the air breathers. For the coming invasion,every scrap of information that he collected would be vital.
(OOC:Bet you always wanted to see my Eshal in action,Joe.
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